Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Ning's Chickens
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Grafting fruit trees. Progress Report.
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| Pear Graft #1 |
I did not keep track of varieties. The pear grafts were on the 2 Asian pear trees. The intent is to have pollinating varieties, on the same tree. And novelty.
The pollinating varieties were, two from a multigraft Asian pear in the Vancouver yard, plus 2 prunings from newly planted pear trees. Those were European pears, Rescue and Orca.
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| Pear Graft #2 |
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| Pear Graft #3 |
I grafted the apples on Feb 23rd at the Home Orchard Society grafting class. Spitzenberg and Suttons Beauty. Each has 2 strong growths. Late winter, I want to graft each with an additional variety. Or with 2 additional varieties, allowing a bud to form a branch below the graft for the originals. These would be very low branching trees, which is what I want. I want to get them planted in-ground this fall, so the roots have a chance to grow. That means I will need deer protection, too, which is more of a chore. Not too difficult.
The regenerated Honeycrisp broke off near the ground, but above the graft, last year. I debated re-grafting it. Instead, I pruned short, and allowed the tree to grow from below the cut. It has 2 strong growths. Again, I would like to graft an additional variety onto one or both of the growths.
In the Vancouver yard, I have the Honeycrisp start, Jonagold, Liberty, and Karmijn de Sonneville. At Battleground, there are the columnar varieties Golden Sentinel and Red Sentinel. GS had one apple this year. It's only about 2 feet tall. That's enough varieties for my test garden.
There is also Prairie Fire crabapple, now, which I hope serves as a pollinator.
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| Pear Graft #4 |
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| Regenerated Honeycrisp Apple |
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| New Dwarf Apple Grafts |
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| Broken Honeycrisp tree Sept 2012 |
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Fall planting bulbs for Spring flowers.
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| Daffodil hill. via Commons.wikimedia.org |
I planted 100 generic daffodils in Ning's border, clusters of 4,5,6. Plus big Allium gigantum which I grew last year in the onion bed. Moved catnip and 2 small raspberry starts out of bearded iris bed#3, and into the bee garden. Both grow too large to remain among the bearded irises. Tidied up a little more of that raised bed, and planted grape hyacinth and smaller types of narcissus. Planted some bunches of daffodils in the bee garden.
That's about all. Too wet, and I'm tired. It sounds like a lot, but was only about 2 hours, split into slow 1 hour sessions, one in am and one in pm.
Daffodils - and possibly all narcissus - are considered deer resistant and rabbit resistant. Last year something ate a few, but left most alone. Must taste bad. Grape hyacinths / Muscari are also considered deer and rabbit resistant, but most were eaten down to the ground.
Alliums are also considered animal resistant. Some varieties did well last year, some were sparse. I planted a few more purple alliums.
A few more small bags and half of a big bag of bulbs, left to plant.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Buddleia progress report.
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| Buddleia globosa hybrid |
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| Buddleia X Peach Cobbler |
The B. globosa hybrid blooms in Spring. It was purchased as a 6 inch start. Lots of growth. Not as much as the others, but it was smaller. Expect flowers next Spring.
The Flutterby series Buddleias grew fastest. The flowers were the largest, but also the messiest. Bumblebees liked them There were also a few butterflies. Those were "Peach Cobbler" and "Blueberry cobbler".
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| Buddleia X "Blue Chip" |
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| Buddleia X "Blue Chip" |
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Buddleia X "Miss Ruby". The remaining Buddleia hybrids were "Miss Ruby" and "Miss Molly". Those were neater. Growth was not as rampant. The flowers lasted longer and were more vivid, compared to the Flutterby series. The flowers were smaller, which is beneficial. The much larger flower panicles of "Peach Cobbler" and "Blueberry Cobbler" start turning brown at the base before the tips open. So with those, I either have to tolerate brown dried out flowers, or deadhead before they are done. Bumblebees and a rare honeybee foraged "Miss Molly" and "Miss Ruby".
From the State of Oregon Department of Agriculture site, the following Buddleia varieties have been tested for non-invasiveness and are allowed. It costs the grower $10,000 to have a variety tested at OSU, and takes 18 months. If the grower already has data proving their variety is noninvasive or proving it is an interspecific hybrid, the cost is $150.00 per hour for the state to evaluate the data. So, it seems wrong for anyone to grow these by cuttings. A few weeks ago I say one local nursery carried "Black Knight" - a pretty but invasive and illegal variety. I did not buy it.
 This is Buddleia globosa, pic via wikipedia.org. B globosa is not regulated, because it is not invasive. B. globosa may be more attractive to bees, but blooms in spring or early summer. The B. davidii and interspecific hybrids bloom later summer and fall. | ||||||||||||
Kitchen Garden. Garlic and Onions.
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| Multiplier Onions |
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| Kitchen Garden |
Last weekend, I planted the Multiplier onions. The first 4 rows are Egyptian Walking Onions. Then 7 rows of Yellow Potato Onions. Enough for scallions and cooking or slicing onions.
During the past week, I finished filling the 10th bed. Same mole-hill / compost mix, 50/50. Today I planted the completed bed with garlic. 12 rows, 8 rose of Inchelium Red and 4 rows of random varieties. The Inchelium Red is all I need.
The photo is from last weekend, before completing the filling of bed #10.
In the background, a cleaned-up bed for Ning's cabbages.
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